MAY 23

        Chapter 5 is a sad chapter, for in it we see the Jews 
selfishly preying upon one another. There is no building in this 
chapter.

        There were great economic burdens upon the Jews, not only 
because of the famine, but because of the taxes and tributes. The 
Jews were being robbed by their own people, through mortgages and 
servitude. Nehemiah reacted to this crisis by first being angry 
because his people were so spiritually backslidden as to rob one 
another. He saw it as a spiritual problem rather than an economic 
problem.

        He consulted his own heart in verse 7, and certainly prayed 
to God for wisdom. He then rebuked the people, reminding them of 
God's goodness to the nation. "We have been set free by the Lord," 
he argued. "Will you now put one another in bondage again?" He 
appealed to the Old Testament Law as he commanded them to restore 
their ill-gotten profits.

        In chapter 6 the people went back to work and so did the 
enemy. This time Sanballat and his men aimed their attacks at 
Nehemiah. He faced guile, slander, and threats. God's people will 
never fully realize here on earth the special temptations and 
testings they must face day after day. Spiritual leadership is a 
costly thing. Nehemiah rejected Sanballat's invitation for a 
friendly meeting because he realized God's servants should be 
separated and should never walk in the counsel of the ungodly (Psalm 
1).

        Verse 15 records that the walls were completed on the 25th 
day of the sixth month. It had taken a total of 52 days to complete 
the rebuilding. And the people had worked during the hottest part of 
the year. Through it all, God was glorified and the enemy was 
embarrassed!